The usability and feasibility validation of the social robot MINI in people with dementia and mild cognitive impairment; a study protocol.

BACKGROUND: Social robots have demonstrated promising outcomes in terms of increasing the social health and well-being of people with dementia and mild cognitive impairment. According to the World Health Organization's Monitoring and assessing digital health interventions framework, usability and feasibility studies are crucial before implementing prototype social robots and proving their efficacy and effectiveness. This protocol paper aims to detail the plan for conducting the usability and feasibility study of the MINI robot based on evidence-based recommended methodology. METHODS: In this study, an experimental design and a mixed method of data collection will be applied. Twenty participants aged 65 and over with dementia or mild cognitive impairment will be recruited. Eight sessions of interaction with the robot, as well as qualitative and quantitative assessments, will be accomplished. The research will take place in a laboratory. Ethical approvals have been acquired. This research will be valuable in the development of the MINI robot and its practical deployment in the actual world, as well as the methodological evidence base in the sector of social robots. DISCUSSION: By the winter of 2022-2023, the findings of this study will be accessible for dissemination. This study will aid to improve the evidence-based methodology used to study the feasibility and usability of social robots in people with dementia and mild cognitive impairment as well as what can be learned to advance such study designs in the future.

Psychiatric Patients Tracking Through a Private Social Network for Relatives: Development and Pilot Study.

The treatment of psychiatric patients requires different health care from that of patients from other medical specialties. In particular, in the case of Department of Psychiatry from the Zamora Hospital (Spain), the period of time which patients require institutionalized care is a tiny part of their treatment. A large part of health care provided to the patient is aimed at his/her rehabilitation and social integration through day-care centres, supervised flats or activities. Conversely, several reports reveal that approximately 50 % of Internet users use the network as a source of health information, which has led to the emergence of virtual communities where patients, relatives or health professionals share their knowledge concerning an illness, health problem or specific health condition. In this context, we have identified that the relatives have a lack of information regarding the daily activities of patients under psychiatric treatment. The social networks or the virtual communities regarding health problems do not provide a private space where relatives can follow the patient's progress, despite being in different places. The goal of the study was to use technologies to develop a private social network for being used by severe mental patients (mainly schizophrenic patients). SocialNet is a pioneer social network in the health sector because it provides a social interaction context restricted to persons authorized by the patient or his/her legal guardian in such a way that they can track his/her daily activity. Each patient has a private area only accessible to authorized persons and their caregivers, where they can share pictures, videos or texts regarding his/her progress. A preliminary study of usability of the system has been made for increasing the usefulness and usability of SocialNet. SocialNet is the first system for promoting personal interactions among formal caregivers, family, close friends and patient, promoting the recovery of schizophrenic patients. Future studies should study the network's potential usefulness for improving the prognosis and recovery of schizophrenia.

Usability evaluation of the eHealth Long Lasting Memories program in Spanish elderly people.

In recent years, there has been a great development of software technology in the field of psychogeriatric research, helping to improve the quality of life of the elderly and preventing cognitive deterioration associated with aging, and thus decrease the possible dependence. The main objective of the present study is to evaluate the usability of the Long Lasting Memories program in elderly people with or without cognitive impairment in a region of Spain. For the study, users were classified into three groups: subjects with no cognitive impairment, with mild cognitive impairment and mild dementia, and they were given a usability questionnaire covering different variables. Of the 157 Spanish participants in the study, 84.1 percent answered the usability questionnaire, obtaining wide acceptance in all study groups regarding the usability of the Long Lasting Memories program. Current research begins to mark a new perspective that recognizes the need to establish a preventive strategy for degenerative diseases.

Effectiveness of a psychoeducational intervention program in the reduction of caregiver burden in Alzheimer's disease patients' caregivers.

OBJECTIVES: Caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) experience physical and psychological stress due to the caring experience. This study evaluated the benefits of a Psychoeducational Intervention Program (PIP) on caregiver burden in southern Europe. METHODS: A multicentre, prospective, randomised study was conducted. One hundred and fifteen caregivers of patients with clinical diagnosis of AD (DSM-IV-TR criteria, mini-mental score = 10-26) and functional impairment (Lawton and Brody Scale and Katz Index) were recruited. Caregivers were randomised to receive either PIP (IG: intervention group, n = 60) or standard care (CG: control group, n = 55). PIP consisted of eight individual sessions over 4 months for teaching strategies for confronting problems of AD patient care. Caregivers' stress, quality of life and perceived health were measured using validated scales (Zarit, SF-36, GHQ-28, respectively) at baseline and after 4 and 10-months follow-up. RESULTS: Mean change in caregiver burden (Zarit baseline-Zarit final scores) was statistically significant (p = 0.0083) showing an improvement in the IG (-8.09 points) and a worsening in the CG (2.08 points). The IG showed significant improvements in all the well-being perception areas measured by the SF-36 and a significantly lower score in the GHQ-28 (p = 0.0004). 97.7% of caregivers and 88.6% of therapists considered PIP 'useful/very useful' at 4 months (the end of PIP) whereas at 10 months the estimates were 93.2% and 86.3%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Psychosocial training of caregivers can minimise caregiver distress and help them to develop problem-solving strategies. A PIP improves quality of life and the perceived health of caregivers of patients with AD.

Eating disorders. Prevalence and risk profile among secondary school students.

BACKGROUND: Eating disorders (EDs) are an important public health problem in developed countries. Despite the amount of epidemiological studies and causal theories, there is a great disparity of estimates and many questions remain still unclear. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of the population at risk of developing EDs and describe the risk profiles among adolescents and young people. METHODS: A transversal design using a two-stage cluster sample of secondary education students aged between 12 and 18 years was used. The survey consisted of a socio-demographic questionnaire along with the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT)-40 index and was carried out between May and June 1999. RESULTS: Results showed that 7.8% of the secondary school population had a high risk of developing eating disorders (EAT-40 higher than 30). Females presented a higher percentage [12.3%; 95% confidence limits (CL) 10.4-14.3%] than males (3.2%; 95% CL 2.1-4.2%) at the highest risk levels. A decreasing risk gradient was observed with age. CONCLUSIONS: The estimates show an important difference between the risk in females and in males and suggests that the risk is incremented above all in the last few years of infancy and the first years of adolescence, when these boys and girls are more vulnerable to socio-cultural influences and do not yet have defined image and "behaviour models".